Weather keeps guga hunters on rock

Created: 03 September 2019

The guga-hunters of Ness are heading home from Sùlaisgeir later today (Tuesday September 2nd) after staying on the desolate rocky islet longer than expected.

The men, who set off for the annual harvest on Monday August 19th, will have been away for 16 days, delayed from even starting work two weeks ago by atrocious weather conditions on Sùlaisgeir, 40 miles north of Lewis.

The Stornoway-registered fishing vessel Sheigra, skipper Peter ‘Foggy’ Macdonald, left Stornoway just after 4am today, after a further delay waiting for a weather window to make the 24-hour round trip needed to bring them home.

Foggy told welovestornoway.com yesterday: “It takes nine hours to get there and nine hours back, plus the time loading, so we should be back by about 5am on Wednesday, all being well.

“The men themselves will be delivered to Ness, where they’ll go ashore in a wee boat, and I will then bring the cargo to Stornoway to unload.”

The 2,000 fat young gannets will later be distributed among families in Ness, with Niseachs enjoying the first guga meal of the year as soon as they can get them home.

The pictures show members of the team before leaving Stornoway (Scott Davidson) and guga dressed for dinner (Sandra Corbett).